The Culture of Distraction

As an eighteen-year-old fresh out of high school, there’s nothing better than a late-night drive with friends: the freedom, windows rolled down, wind whipping through your hair, music blasting. Just a few days ago, my friends and I performed this same weekly ritual. 2010’s pop blazed from the small stereo in my friend’s new car. As we were laughing, my friend suddenly hit the curb, startling us out of our comfort zone. We brushed this off after a few jokes about my friend’s driving skills. However, behaviors like this, despite their common occurrence, should never be overlooked.

While we all got out of it with no harm done, that’s not always the case. When I was younger, my mother was driving on the interstate. She too lost sight of the road and swerved into another car, sending us spinning into a ditch that was lanes away. Despite the years passing, I can still remember how quickly it all felt. One second we were talking animatedly about our plans to go out for lunch later that day at our favorite spot and the next we sat stunned in our totaled vehicle, bodies slammed against our seatbelts from the impact. Though my headache and bruises were temporary, our suffering was months long. Our family struggled to pay off our insurance and my grandparents had to step into the picture to take me to school and my mother to work while she searched for a new car. From these examples I’ve learned it doesn’t take a bad driver to be in an accident; it simply takes a distracted one.

There are no good distracted drivers, only lucky and unlucky ones. Every time I start my car, I remember that quote from my former driving instructor. At first, I hated driving school. At fifteen I still had not grown out of my shyness and the thought of driving with an older stranger multiple times a week was not enjoyable, if not terrifying. However, in my discomfort lies the ultimate benefit of my schooling. Oftentimes when driving with people I know, I can become too comfortable and become distracted by the newest song or the latest gossip. Relying on a purely teacher-student relationship while learning to drive taught me to take things seriously, something which I recommend to all with access to this service.

From him, I didn’t just learn how to drive like you would from a parent, but the philosophy behind it. Because of this, every time I step behind the wheel, I now know I carry the responsibility towards myself, my passengers, and my community’s pedestrians to pay attention and be what he called a defensive driver. He taught me that while some road fatalities are simply by chance, especially when you are hit by another vehicle, there is something everyone can do to help reduce this risk. While we cannot control how others choose to drive, we can control ourselves. Some key factors of this defensive style of driving are obeying traffic laws, paying attention, keeping a distance, and staying calm.

All drivers must adhere to driving laws. In my area, I often see drivers disobey something as simple and commonplace as a stoplight by speeding up after the light has turned yellow. While stopping at a stoplight is inconvenient and time-consuming, the possibility of running it is much worse. If drivers in the opposite lanes are not paying attention, it is easy for them to go on the green light and crash into the car breaking the law. This type of accident, often called a t-bone accident, is especially dangerous as the car hit only has a flimsy door to protect its passengers. I have seen this happen with my own eyes. Other people decide to speed recklessly on the interstate, swerving around cars in the process. At such a high speed, crashes turn deadly quickly. Since the interstate is such a high-traffic area, it is hard for police officers to punish these individuals, leaving hundreds of lives at risk by one person’s actions. Both of these circumstances would never occur if people chose to take the philosophy of defensive driving to heart. A defensive driver behaves cautiously, looking out for upcoming traffic and lights, and takes actions of self-preservation, not of risk.

Defensive drivers are also aware of others around them. They understand that not everyone will behave responsibly on the road and monitor other drivers for dangerous behavior for both parties’ safety. They keep a generous distance from other cars in case they need to suddenly brake.

When they see a dangerous driver, they avoid escalating the situation by becoming angry. Some examples of escalating the situation include speeding up to pursue another driver, rolling their window down to shout mean phrases, brake-checking, and even trying to force another car off of the road to confront their behavior. Though drivers might think these behaviors are justified to tell off a driver endangering many, they only put more people in danger by doing so. When people give in to road rage and start behaving erratically to get back at a reckless driver, the line between hero and villain is blurred as they also become reckless. To be defensive, one must be disciplined enough to not give in to their whims.

While these whims can appear in anger, they can also appear in happiness. The 21st century has become the age of the distracted driver as more technology has been introduced into cars. Whenever you start to feel bored, it’s easy to reach for your phone to quickly text a friend or put on a song. Alternatively, when you’re in a rush, it’s easy to reach for food, makeup, or other parts of your daily routine to save time. While these can seem like small and harmless gestures that everyone does, they lead down a slippery path. When a defensive driver is behind the wheel, they take this into account: their car will never be their bathroom, their kitchen, or their favorite hangout spot, so they do not treat it as such. While I’ve forged wonderful memories in my car, when I am driving, I remember it is not the time to have fun. In both of my personal experiences, the drivers were distracted; the only difference was chance. The consequence could be something as simple as hitting a curb or as tragic as losing your car, or even someone’s life.

There are many, much safer alternatives to these dangerous actions. If you’re in a rush, consider adjusting your later schedule instead of becoming distracted. Embrace your natural beauty and let your skin breathe instead of applying makeup in your car. There is nothing unpresentable nor unprofessional about your imperfect skin. Make sure to eat a bigger lunch or pick up a calorie-filled energizing drink such as coffee instead of eating in your car. Alternatively, make sure to plan out your ride before if you anticipate becoming bored. Send all important texts and make all important calls before you start your journey. If you choose to listen to music from a streaming service, have fun by creating a specialized driving playlist to put on while you drive so you’re less tempted to queue songs individually.

Once you’ve started driving, be sure to put your phone out of sight and therefore out of mind. I leave my phone in my purse, but if more discipline is needed, place your devices in your backseat. If you own Apple devices, use the drive focus which is auto-installed on every phone to silence all notifications and distractions. Alternatively, set screen limits on your most distracting apps to ensure you cannot use them while driving. Depending on the year of your vehicle, it may be an option for you to attach your phone to the car’s Bluetooth, allowing for any emergency calls to be done hand-free. If driving with a passenger, you may also let them handle these tasks for you, allowing you to continue driving safely.

Being a defensive driver is not easy, especially when our culture embraces distraction. While our government has attempted to bring to light how dangerous this epidemic is through the use of law enforcement, viral advertisements, or the NHTSA’s “Click it or Ticket” signs on highways, it is ultimately up to us to practice good behavior that will eventually turn into habits. This means keeping both yourself and others accountable, whether you are in the driver’s seat or not. Many life-threatening injuries can be avoided by making sure everyone has their seat belts buckled and children are secured in proper booster seats. However, it goes further than just that. Over the past few weeks, I’ve also learned that it means holding your friends accountable for their own distracted driving. Though I love a good night drive like everyone else, when we excuse dangerous behaviors, we put the people we love most at risk. As I prepare to see my friends again, I hope to spread the message that driver’s education taught me. This encouragement can be shown by making a pact to all put our phones away in solidarity, pulling over to have a jam session or joke around, and first and foremost modeling good behavior when driving with friends. With just these small changes and modern inconveniences, we all have the opportunity to lessen a leading cause of death in our country.